Q: A friend who lives in a local mountain community just gave me a division of one of her garden plants with pink flowers that she called phlox. Will it take our summer heat and low winter chill garden?

A: One of the best things about gardeners is their willingness to share their plants. In more temperate climates, phlox is a common garden flower, but for years I never saw it growing in local gardens. I also assumed it could not take our high summer heat or low humidity but when I ordered one from a mail order source back east, I was in for a surprise. Phlox “David” arrived in early spring in a three-inch pot and went into a sunny corner of my vegetable garden where it grew quite well.

By late June, it was about 24 inches tall and crowned with huge clusters of snowy-white one-inch blossoms. As individual blossoms faded, others took their place. It kept on blooming into fall. Each year it has repeated its amazing performance, growing larger and even more impressive. Friends who have received divisions from it report the same positive results. Other varieties of phlox I have tried since then have also performed very well.

Phlox come in white and varying shades of lilac, pink, rose, and periwinkle. There are also colored varieties with white centers to the individual blossoms. Flower clusters can be as much as 12 inches tall and wide and are as long-lasting as a cut flower. Specific varieties will grow from about 24 inches tall to almost 60 inches tall. There’s a variety to fit any garden.

The plants seem to tolerate most soils, but require regular fertilizing and watering. They have grown very well in my garden in full sun, with no fading of the colored varieties. Since we are now well into summer and the weather has been quite hot, I would suggest that you plant your phlox in a location where it will be sheltered from the hot afternoon sun for this summer. Come winter, when the plant is dormant, you can transplant it to a sunnier, more permanent site. It will have all winter to grow good roots and get established in its new location.

The plants should be divided every few years (your friends will be delighted to get your discards) in winter while they are dormant. Named varieties are available from most mail order nurseries and I’ve noticed that some of the better local nurseries are now stocking them. Although they are especially suited to cottage-style gardens, phlox would be a colorful splash of summer color in any garden.

Q: I planted an assortment of pumpkins and winter squash this spring and have a good crops developing, but how will I know when they are ready for harvest?

A: You’ll know that it’s time to harvest winter squash, including pumpkins, when the fruits have developed their full color and the vines begin to die. Once the vines die, there’s no point to keeping the crop in the garden, regardless of the date on the calendar.

Another easy way to determine if winter squash is ready for harvest, even if the vines are still alive, is to scratch the rind with your fingernail. If the rind is too hard to scratch, the squash is ready for harvest. Cut the squashes and pumpkins from the vine but leave a two or three-inch stem attached. Never pick up the pumpkin, especially the heavier ones, by the stem as it can break off quite easily. Remove any field soil from the fruits and allow them to cure in the sun for a week or two before moving them to a cool, dry place for storage or other use.